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Contents

Purchase

Share of School Spirit and Tradition

In 1963, a group of RIT students decided to organize a committee to plan the purchase of a live tiger to serve as the RIT mascot. The committee consisted of Jim Black, Denis Kitchen, Roger Kramer, Francis "Skip" Millor.

They called the group the Tiger Committee and presented their proposal to A. Stephen Walls, then the Director of Student Activities. Mr. Walls found the idea intriguing and contacted the Seneca Park Zoo to see what doing it would entail. Louis DiSabato, the Director of the Zoo, informed them that only a licensed facility could purchase a tiger, but if the students were able to raise the money the Zoo would be willing to purchase and take care of the animal.[1]

The cost of a bengal tiger cub at the time was $1,000. The Tiger Committee, with the support of Mr. Walls, requested a loan for the tiger's price from the Student Council. After the loan was approved, the Tiger Committee decided that they would try to raise the money by selling $1 shares of "school spirit and tradition" to students, staff, faculty and others.

The fundraiser proved successful, generating $300 in the first week and the remaining shares quickly sold out once the tiger that would soon be named SPIRIT arrived on campus.[2] The tiger's arrival on campus on October 30, 1963 was a major event, with over 50 people forming a motorcade to the airport to greet the tiger as he got off the plane.

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